Turkish PM: Syria plane was carrying Russian-made munitions

People speak from the top of the steps of a Syrian passenger plane that was forced by Turkish jets to land in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday. Turkish jets on Wednesday forced the Syrian Air Airbus A320 passenger plane to land on suspicion that it was carrying weapons, amid heightened tensions between Turkey and Syria that have sparked fears of a wider regional conflict.

By NBC News wire services

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that a Syrian passenger plane forced to land in Ankara was carrying Russian-made munitions destined for Syria's defense ministry.

Russia's ITAR-Tass news agency earlier quoted an official at the Russian Embassy in Ankara as saying that the cargo "was not of Russian origin." Rosoboronexport, which handles most of Russia's military export contracts, said none of its cargo was on the plane.

Damascus said intercepting the Syrian Air plane was an act of piracy, further heightening tensions between the neighbors after Turkey's chief of staff warned Ankara would use greater force if shells from Syria continued to hit Turkish territory. The plane's 37 passengers and crew were allowed to continue to Damascus after several hours, without the cargo.

Yeni Safak, a newspaper close to the Turkish government, also reported there were 10 containers aboard the plane, some containing radio receivers, antennas and "equipment... thought to be missile parts."

Neither TRT nor Yeni Safak cited sources for their reports.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had said the cargo contained "elements ... that are not legitimate in civilian flights" and insisted Ankara was within its rights to intercept the plane if it suspected that military equipment was being transported over Turkish territory.

NATO leaders discuss the volatile situation along the Turkish-Syrian border following last week's shelling of a village by forces loyal to Syria's government. NBC's Jim Maceda reports.

Sabre rattling between Syria and its northern neighbor has increased in recent days after a spate of cross-border shell and mortar firings. Turkey, which has been vocal in its criticism of Assad's crackdown on the opposition, has beefed up its military presence along the 565-mile frontier after shelling from Syria killed five Turkish civilians in a border town last week.